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Traditional Poetry

Traditional poetry has been around for a long time. Here are some examples:

Ballad 🟪 Ballad poems tell a story. The ballad is written in four-line stanzas. Often the second and fourth lines rhyme. (Here is the first stanza of “Ballad of Skull Rock.”)

We miners long ago did find
the skull rock on the lake.
The silver lay in open veins,
all shining for the take.

Cinquain 🟪 Cinquain (SIN-kane) poems are five lines long with a specific purpose and number of syllables or words for each line. Here is one type of pattern for a syllable cinquain, followed by an example.

Pattern for a Syllable Cinquain
Line 1: Title (2 syllables)
Line 2: Description or example of the title (4 syllables)
Line 3: Action about the title (6 syllables)
Line 4: Feeling about the title (8 syllables)
Line 5: Synonym for the title (2 syllables)

Example of a Syllable Cinquain
Line 1: Seashells
Line 2: Cockles and clams
Line 3: Collecting on beaches